One of my many lists is an Evernote note full of books that I really want to read. I keep it in Evernote so that I can add to it no matter where I am—whether I’m at my computer or out somewhere and using my phone, I can pull it up and add to it. It cuts down on the 47 half lists that are usually floating around my house and purse and pants pockets.

Since my list is getting long, I thought I’d share a few with you guys to see if you’ve read any of them or if you have any that I need to add.

I’ll admit it. I love a good romcom. I realize they’re far fetched and sometimes go completely against every single feminist notion I hold dear, but I’m a sucker for a good love story.

And one with a lead male described as an “oddly charming, socially challenged genetics professor”? Um, yeah. Sign me up.

Don (the adorable geek I just spoke of) has decided it’s time to find a wife. So, being a scientist, he creates the Wife Project to find the perfect partner—which, of course, could never possibly go wrong.

Then he meets Rosie, who is every single thing he is trying to filter out of the potential wife pool. Only he’s intrigued by Rosie and as they each set out on their own quests, they grow closer and closer. Le swoon.

A bunch of the girls in our virtual book club are fans of Jojo Moyes and, to be honest, I’ve been itching to read one of her books for a while now.

This one might be the perfect place to start. It’s another love story, but if you’re not into that skip on down the list. I swear it’s more varied than it sounds. 😉

Single mother. Tortured stepson. Gifted daughter. A road trip to a Math Olympiad with these three would be interesting enough, but add in the obnoxious tech millionaire the mother cleans house for and things are sure to get interesting.

Publishers Weekly says “There’s never anything predictable about stubbornly optimist and protective Jess and her oddball kids, or the distracted Ed and his disjointed work-family relationships. It’s exactly that quality that makes this offbeat journey so satisfying, and Moyes’s irrepressible flaws-and-all characters so memorable.”

We read Big Little Lies as our book club book back in October and I looooved it. It totally sucked me in and left me wanting more. A lot of the other girls felt the same way. A bunch of them who hadn’t already read Moriarty’s work went on to others. Somehow, I haven’t yet! And that really needs to change.

I mean, check out the Amazon description of this one: “Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not only the life you have built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive…”

I know, I know. This one is kind of old news at this point. It’s been on DVD for months already. But I still haven’t read it!

When the hype is so big and so many new books are being touted as “the next Gone Girl“, you can’t help being extra curious. Add in a few friends who loved it and it becomes a must.

For anyone living under a rock, here’s what Time had to say about it: “A portrait of a marriage so hilariously terrifying, it will make you have a good hard think about who the person on the other side of the bed really is. This novel is so bogglingly twisty, we can only give you the initial premise: on their fifth anniversary, Nick Dunne’s beloved wife Amy disappears, and all signs point to very foul play indeed. Nick has to clear his name before the police finger him for Amy’s murder.”

I’m not one to jump at period novels. I’m not exactly sure why, but they have to work a little bit harder to draw me to them. This one has done that.

I don’t remember exactly how I heard of it, but I remember putting it up as a book club choice one month and crossing my fingers that we’d read it (only it was doomed going up against the hot, hot, hot Girl on a Train).

Here’s the Amazon synopsis: “It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned, the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband and even servants, life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers. For with the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the ‘clerk class’, the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. And as passions mount and frustration gathers, no one can foresee just how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.”

Over and over and over again, this book by Anne Lamott comes up as a must-read for writers.

Library Journal says: “Lamott makes her living by selling magazine articles and books. She also teaches writing. Reading this work is like sitting in on one of her workshops. While discussing elements of the craft such as character development, plot invention, and rewriting, she presents much more than an instruction manual in this small text. Writing is by nature a personal and solitary trade, and Lamott offers thorough examples and anecdotes that explain how she copes with self-doubt, writer’s block, professional jealousy, and the discipline necessary to turn thoughts into words on a page. Her work is an honest appraisal of what it takes to be a writer and why it matters so much.”

I’m completely intrigued by stories of people who are inspired to do things for social good—and I’m even more intrigued when their efforts are so mind bogglingly successful (see my obsession with The Promise of a Pencil).

This book tells the story of the guy who started TOMS shoes. And, according to Amazon, it’s for you if:

• You’re ready to make a difference in the world—through your own start-up business, a nonprofit organization, or a new project that you create within your current job.
• You want to love your work, work for what you love, and have a positive impact on the world—all at the same time.
• You’re inspired by charity: water, method, and FEED Projects and want to learn how these organizations got their start.
• You’re curious about how someone who never made a pair of shoes, attended fashion school, or worked in retail created one of the fastest-growing footwear companies in the world by giving shoes away.
• You’re looking for a new model of success to share with your children, students, co-workers, and members of your community.

Jen is a freelance writer and girl mom from New York. When she's not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find her sprawled across her couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on her face. The struggle is real.

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about the momma

Hi! I'm Jen, a freelance writer and girl mom who loves reading the newest children’s books as much as I love a good psychological thriller. I believe fiercely in the power of kindness, empathy, and really good quality chocolate. When I'm not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find me sprawled out on my couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on my face. The struggle is real. Learn more about me here.

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